The men we couldn't do without - David Platt

[KevinGage]

David Ginola and even Tricky Trevor Francis speak (or spoke) with more affection about the Villa than spoonface.

[Charlie8182]

He was phenomenal for us and looking at the stats he scored more for Villa than Bari, Sampdoria, Juventus and Arsenal put together. It’s criminal that he’s not seen as being a McGrath-esque legend and with little fondness towards him but that’s down to his indifference and aloofness to us.

[Risso]

Spoon-faced twat.

[colin69]

Platt and Sid together were a thing of beauty.
Villa and SGT in particular made him into the player he became. What a great season that was when we came second, at one point I really thought we were going to do it.
 For me Cascarino was a terrible buy who disrupted our season.

[dave.woodhall]

One Friday night I went to see Crewe play. I was talking to a steward and he said much the same as us - Platt was friendly enough but once he left there he totally ignored them from then on. 

[Exeter 77]

One Friday night I went to see Crewe play. I was talking to a steward and he said much the same as us - Platt was friendly enough but once he left there he totally ignored them from then on. 

The Crewe fans I know say the same. A girl I knew at uni went to the same school as him but a couple of years below and completely debunked my hero-worship in the year after he left Villa.

[Meanwood Villa]

Platt was a brilliant and Important player for Villa and went for a big profit. I don't care if he didn't speak about Villa glowingly after he left, he wasn't a Villa fan like us but he performed on the pitch which is what I care about.

Tend to agree. Rather that than post-career fawning when you were average or shit with us.

I don't think anyone would argue that he was a top player for us. His 4 goals in a 6-2 win against Everton will live long in the memory. I don't crave plaudits for our club off anyone past or present but it's nice when they say how much they enjoyed their time in B6. However Platt grated many a Villa fans nerves once he went on to Bari and Arsenal when he flatly refused to acknowledge his time at the club. I remember how annoyed people were at the time with his blind spot regarding his time at Villa Park. Iirc SGT played a big part in his development here and I've never heard a word of praise for him either. As I said he was a memorable player but I've no fondness towards the guy whatsoever.

He only scored two v Everton. Cowans, Platt (2), Olney (2), Nielsen

[Beard82]

Still not forgiven him for the shoot front cover

[Beard82]

I honestly think we have only had 3 genuine World Class players playing at Villa in my supporting life.

As in could readily win a place in Liverpool late 70s+, Juve mid 80s Milan late 80s/early 90s , ManU & RM late 90s/early 00s and more recently and Barca mid 00s to mid 10s and Germany 1990, Brazil 94 etc...

He was one albeit for the final 2 years at Villa. Platt was patchy at Juve (competed with Andy Moller) though was brilliant for Sampdoria and continued to score goals for England for fun.
Yorke is the other 95-98. No surprise they went for at the time astronomical fees and latter made a great team into a legendary one.

The other one surpassed them both by a distance and was born in Ealing

Unfortunately I was a bit too young for platt - I agree on the other two.  I also think emi is world class - he is the best in his position in the world and seems to be the missing piece in the Messi era Argentina

[WarszaVillan]

What about Sid?

Yes, I'd add Sid. And amazingly Taylor signed all four of them for a combined sum of less than 1 million quid.

[PeterWithe]

Anyone remember the game after he left, we played someone in a friendly testamonial and he kicked off the game in his Bari kit before going off the pitch, he was waving with the general demeanour of 'adore me plebs' and all around the bottom right of the Holte was a counter reaction that he wasn't nearly as popular as he thought he was, at least then.

A strange move that, Bari, he had a big reputation and they were shit, always a suspicion of some dirty money changing hands.

[cdbearsfan]

Platt was a brilliant and Important player for Villa and went for a big profit. I don't care if he didn't speak about Villa glowingly after he left, he wasn't a Villa fan like us but he performed on the pitch which is what I care about.

Tend to agree. Rather that than post-career fawning when you were average or shit with us.

I don't think anyone would argue that he was a top player for us. His 4 goals in a 6-2 win against Everton will live long in the memory. I don't crave plaudits for our club off anyone past or present but it's nice when they say how much they enjoyed their time in B6. However Platt grated many a Villa fans nerves once he went on to Bari and Arsenal when he flatly refused to acknowledge his time at the club. I remember how annoyed people were at the time with his blind spot regarding his time at Villa Park. Iirc SGT played a big part in his development here and I've never heard a word of praise for him either. As I said he was a memorable player but I've no fondness towards the guy whatsoever.

He only scored two v Everton. Cowans, Platt (2), Olney (2), Nielsen

Yep. Scored four goals in eighteen minutes (McInally with the other two) in a 6-2 League Cup win against Ipswich the season before which may be where the confusion has arisen. Some bloke called Dalian scored Ipswich's second goal.

[Exeter 77]

It was Wolves for Paul Birch's testimonial which he kicked off in a Bari kit. Somehow that night I ended up with blood-stained clothes and I still have no idea why because it definitely wasn't mine.

[PeterWithe]

Was that the game Andy Gray did that horrendous volleyed miss from underneath the crossbar.

The 6-2 win over Ipswich

[PeterWithesShin]

Brilliant for us for 2 seasons, but even back then he was never a player I felt affection for.